The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

"Waker up. Smell the roses."

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most revered, respected, notorious, and finest video game franchises ever created. I have played every Zelda game to date, and I have been equally impressed with them all. The original. Link's Adventure. A Link to the Past. Link's Awakening. Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask. Oracle of Seasons. Oracle of Ages. You might not even recognize a lot of these names. Zelda didn't become "obsessively known" until the first 3D installment came out. But wherever you stand in the Zelda universe, The Wind Waker is something you can't afford to miss out on.

Graphics:
When the first footage of this cel-shaded Zelda title was shown, several people were outraged. I have to admit, I was somewhat skeptic, myself. After all, Link had a square head and a goofy, cartoon face. But, as time progressed, the Wind Waker began shaping up to be a real visual treat. I actually think this move was a smart one. Most of the people who moan and complain about the graphics don't know Zelda outside Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The classic Zelda games, as well as the Game Boy iterations, have a similar visual flair to Wind Waker. Zelda has always mixed light-heartedness with hardcore adventuring, and this latest game does this exceptionally well. At a brisk glance, it just looks like a typical cartoon. However, the world of Wind Waker is very vibrant and full of detail. You'll begin to notice amazing, little nuances like the dangling jaw of an enemy, Link's cap swaying in the wind, and the light a torch emits on a cave wall. What's truly breathtaking, however, is that this huge world is presented without any hitch in framerate or any noticeable load times. One particular sequence has you fighting about twenty enemies in one room, and yet the game remains silky smooth.

Sound:
The Wind Waker's soundtrack is not as epic as previous Zelda entries. Part of this comes from the fact that the songs sound too much like MIDIs and not enough like the orchestrated power from Ocarina of Time (though I have my suspicions those were just MIDIs, as well). In fact, several songs are just slightly rearranged versions of previous Zelda melodies. Unlike Majora's Mask, though, which basically reproduced the entire Ocarina of Time score, Wind Waker has its share of originality, and some songs are quite moving and fun, from the epic tune of sailing the ocean to the giddiness of running around Windfall Island. One of my favorite aspects of the audio is the battle music. Every time you hit an enemy, a chord is struck. If the battle becomes aggressive enough, these chords begin to play a song that ties into the background music. But while all this is fine and dandy, the Zelda series still has no voice acting. The lack of voices isn't as detrimental to the game as it is with Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, but it's very noticeable, and the characters' single grunts when you talk to them get old. Link is slightly more expressive in this game, though, and has a wider range of cries and yells.

Gameplay:
In classic Zelda style, there are towns and dungeons, all interconnected via a massive overworld. This time, the overworld feels like a real world. There is water everywhere. You travel between the different islands and continents via a boat and a magical baton called the wind waker which will let you control the direction of the wind, among other things. Most of the islands are small and host nothing more than a small dungeon to a heart piece or great fairy. Others, especially the towns, are enormous. Windfall Island has so much to do on it, you can spend an entire evening there. However, the world of Wind Waker is not continuous, so when you reach one end of the map, you have to turn around and go back, which makes the game feel too grid-based and not "global."

As is traditional with any Zelda game, Wind Waker has a handful of elaborate dungeons. Six in all, to be exact. This certainly beats the puny amount from Majora's Mask, but doesn't come close to the grandeur of Ocarina of Time or any of the Game Boy Zeldas. Every dungeon is very complex, involving multiple floors and a good deal of fighting and puzzle solving. The puzzles are as ingenious as ever, except for the occasional "How was I supposed to know that?" Most of the time, the confusion is due to not understanding which items can do what. All the weapons you'd expect to find in a Zelda game return, from the bombs to the hookshot. Some of these have been improved, though. The boomerang, for instance, can now target multiple enemies. A few new additions include a grappling hook, which allows you to swing from branches and steal trinkets from enemies, and a deku leaf, giving you the ability to float through the air at the expense of your magic supply. The mix of old and new items creates an adventure that veterans can jump right into, but still feel as though it's a new experience.

I have heard a lot of complaints about the seemingly unstructured nature of the game. Before you can reach the final dungeon, you have to collect the eight shards of the triforce. Naturally, you might think these would require a dungeon to each. In actuality, the shards are found by scouring the ocean. You can't find them, however, until you've got the appropriate [translated] map. These maps are obtained by completing mini-dungeons or side-quests and serve as nothing more than filler. To get the maps translated, you have to spend good money. If you don't have very many rupees to your name, this can become quite the task. So I can see why this would bother some people. Too much fetching and not enough action. To be honest with you, though, I liked this change of pace. I liked having this settling before the final battle ensued. It not only gave me a chance to explore the vast Wind Waker world, but allowed me to break away from the usual video game outline. Then again, this isn't for everyone. Beware.

Controls:
It takes the perfect control scheme from the N64 games and maps it to the Gamecube controller. For the most part, this works really well. If you've played Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, then Wind Waker will feel very natural. My only complaint is that one of the item buttons is now the Z button. It's uncomfortable to use, so you'll most often equip your least-used items to it. The Wind Waker also expands on this formula, however. Link can now crawl and side-step and can counterattack when the A button is pressed at the right time in battle. Combat is still handled as finely as it has been before, but now allows for greater and more rewarding combos. The lock-on system is still intact, along with the follow-behind camera-- and inability to jump. I hope that one day, Link will be able to jump again, as this gives a game that much more freedom. I do commend the Wind Waker staff, however, for incorporating the option to move the camera at will. Like your typical 3D platform game, the camera can be swiveled around with the C-stick. Unlike your typical 3D platform game, the camera is very smooth and easy to work with. This is the best camera I have ever used in such a game.

Frustration:
While I appreciated the feel of sailing, it got very tiring. Even after learning a song on the wind waker that would allow me to warp to special spots on the map, I still found myself doing a ridiculously high amount of unnecessary ocean cruising. There really isn't much to do during these journeys between lands, either, except stare at the blueness. If the boat moved a little faster, it wouldn't be so bad, but, then again, that might cut down on the overall length of the game. It's also really tedious having to continually change the direction of the wind just to navigate around one island. This is the only thing I found really frustrating about the game.

Lasting Appeal:
If you follow the path the game sets out for you, then Wind Waker will only take about 10-12 hours to beat. There is some incentive to play the game again since a new quest is slightly altered (i.e. Link wears his pajamas throughout and you can understand Hyrulian text). To truly appreciate this game, though, you need to spend the time looking around, checking out all the islands, and finding secrets galore. This is a Zelda game, after all. There are heart pieces, treasure maps, and other bonuses to collect. For about three hours straight, I forgot the main quest, getting wrapped up in so many different side tasks, and I still didn't see everything this world had to offer. One of the items you can receive is a camera. With this, you can take pictures of every character and monster in the game, take these pictures to an artist, and he will turn them into figurines for a museum. Also, after looking through a Wind Waker strategy guide, I saw that there is an extensive item-swapping quest, to boot. So if you want to say you beat the game with 100%, be prepared to fork over about 5-10 more hours than normal.

Overall:
Ocarina of Time is still hailed as not only the best Zelda title, but one of the best games ever created. It was a very epic adventure that has been hard to beat. The Wind Waker, believe it or not, comes very close. In fact, it is my second favorite Zelda game. It continues the epic intrigue that made Ocarina of Time such a hit, but adds enough new stuff to warrant a purchase. Wind Waker is also the first 3D Zelda game to truly capture the original -- and familiar -- essence that has made this series so special. The ocean sailing can get really tiring and boring, but that aside, the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is a must-have for anyone who owns a Gamecube.

Points:
+ Fun style
+ Huge, believable world
+ Refreshing balance
+ Great feel
+ Smart, creative gameplay
-- Sailing is so tedious

Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/04, Updated 02/03/05